Economy of Orissa

In the south are the Eastern Ghats, which yield valuable timber. A canal system links the Mahanadi River with the Hugli River in West Bengal. Supporting a major industrial zone in the north are deposits of iron, manganese, coal, and mica.

The rate of growth in Orissa has been rather fantastic in comparison with the national average. For instance; in the 1990s Orissa’s rate of growth was 14.3% in comparison to the national average of 6.7%. The agricultural sector accounts for 2% of the GDP and 5% of the total employment. Around 2 lakh people live below the poverty line.

The state is witnessing unprecedented investment, both domestic and foreign. A whopping 50 billion dollars are expected to be invested in the state for building steel and aluminum producing capacity, power projects, ports and other infrastructure in the near future.

In addition, the state capital, Bhubaneswar, a well planned city with modern facilities, is attractive for information technology with a few software development centers (TCS, Satyam, Infosys) and a software technology park.